Kraut-dispensing barrel.



PATENTBD APR. 19, 1904.

T w. MQFARL'AND. KRAUT DISPENSING BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1903.

I0 MODEL.

w/messzs:

Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS WV. MGFARLAND, OF JACKSON, MISSOURI.

KRAUT-DISPENSING BARREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,951, dated April 19, 1904.

Application filed September 30, 1903. Serial No. 175,169. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS WV. INIOFARLAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jackson, in the county of Cape Girardeau and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Kraut-Dispensing Barrel, of which the following is a :full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in kraut-dispensing barrels or receptacles; and the object that I have in view is to provide a barrel or receptacle with a press mechanism which is adapted for holding the kraut below the level of brine or other preservative liquid, whereby the kraut may be kept in a submerged wholesome condition without the necessity of inverting the barrel or cask in which the commodity is packed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the subjoined description, and the actual scope thereof will be defined by the annexed claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing barrel or receptacle partly broken away and showing certain elements of the press mechanism within the barrel. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional elevation through the improved dispensing barrel or receptacle. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the barrel with the permanent head removed therefrom. Fig. I is a detail perspective view of the follower detached from the barrel or receptacle, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one member of the adjustable clamp.

In carrying my invention into practice I employ a barrel, cask, or other receptacle 5,

which is provided at one end with a permanent head 6 and at its other end with a head 7, which is adapted to be removed when it is desired to dispense the contents of the receptacle or cask. The permanent head 6 at the bottom of the cask or barrel is provided with a central opening 8, in which is fitted the lower portion of a vertical spindle 9, the latter being preferably made of wood and provided with an external or male screw-thread, as shown by Fig. 2. The lower end of the wooden spindle protrudes through said opening of the permanent head 6, and it is provided with a kerf or slit-adapted to receive a key 10, the latter being driven into the slit in a way to expand the end portion of the spindle, and thereby force it into tight frictional engagement with the wall of the opening 8 for the purpose of expanding said spindle into fixed engagement with the head 6. The spindle is thus secured firmly in place within the cask or receptacle, so as to extend upwardly through the chamber thereof. Said spindle is made of hard wood or other material, and the threads on the spindle are formed in such a way as to allow for the expansion of the spindle when saturated with brine or liquor in which the kraut is packed.

The head 7 should be secured within the cask so that it may be removed readily therefrom, and the upper end of the spindle 9 should terminate a suitable distance below said removable head.

In order to keep the kraut below the preservative liquor within the cask or receptacle, I employ a follower 11, which is provided with a central opening 11" and' is adapted to fit loosely over the threaded spindle 9, so as to move freely thereon in a vertical direction. This follower is adapted to be pressed forcibly upon the kraut contained within the barrel by the employment of a clamp which has threaded'engagement with the spindle 9 and is arrangedto rest upon the follower, whereby said clamp may be adjusted on the spindle for the purpose of pressing the follower upon the kraut and for compensating for varying depths of kraut due to the removal of the contents of the package from time to time by the retail merchant. As shown by the drawings, the clamp consists of a member 12, having a recess 13 in its upper side, and another member 14, having a' recess 15 in its lower side, as shown by Figs. 2 and 5. The two members of the clamp are fitted together at right angles, so that the recessed portion of one member will fit into the recessed portion of the other member. The two members of the clamp are provided with central openings 16, which are formed with internal or female threads, and these recessed members are assembled for the threaded openings thereof to register or aline vertically, whereby the clamp is adapted to be screwed on the upper porrest upon the follower 11, as shown by Fig. 1

of the drawings.

The follower 11 may be made of a single piece of wood in the form of a disk, the diameter of which is somewhat less than the internal diameter of the receptacle; but for con- Venience of the retail merchant in obtaining access to the contents of the receptacle I prefer to make the follower 11 in two parts, as shown by Figs. 2 and 4. One part of the follower is provided with an opening or recess 17, in which is adapted to fit the other part,

11, of said follower. The two parts of the follower are assembled so as to bear on the contents of the receptacle, as shown by Fig. 2, and the clamp 12 14 is adjusted for one member to span the two parts 11 11 of the follower, while the other member of the clamp rests upon said follower, as shown by Fig. 3. I It is well known to those skilled in the art that it is customary for kraut producers to pack the commodity in a preservative liquid,

which is contained within a cask or receptacle; but ordinarily kraut-containers are not provided with means for pressing the solid matter below the level of the brine or the preservative liquid, in consequence of which it is necessary to invert the receptacle in order to submerge the kraut and saturate it thoroughly, so as to preserve it from deterioration. Many retail merchants desire to purchase half a cask, and it is frequently necessary to provide some means by which the kraut may be kept'in a submerged condition. My improvement allows the manufacturer to pack the kraut within a cask and to keep it in a wholesome condition, because the commodity will be submerged at all times within the brine. The retail merchant should .of

course remove the head 7 and by adjusting the clamp access may easily be obtained to the member 11 of the follower for the purpose of removing it from the contents of the receptacle, so that ready access can be obtained thereto in dispensing the contents in small quantities.

It is of course to be understood that the folcontents decrease within the receptacle the follower 11 moves downwardly on the spindle, and the members of the clamp are screwed on said spindle in order to press said follower upon the kraut and keep it submerged below the level of the preservative liquid.

Although I have shown and described the clamp as having its members 12 and 14 made in separate pieces and screwed individually on thethreaded stem, it is to be understood that the members may be coupled or fastened one to the other in any suitable way, so as to be capable of conjoint rotation on said stem. I prefer, however, to have the members made in separate pieces, because the lower member 12 may be adjusted away from the removable section 11 of the follower without disturbing the position of the upper member 14, which remains in engagement with the follower and serves to prevent displacement of said follower, whereby the merchant can obtain access to the kraut in the space or opening 17 of the follower. If desired, the follower 11 may be reinforced in any suitable way to prevent warping or-cupping thereof, and as one means for keeping the follower in a proper condition I may provide cleats on the under side of said follower 11.

The employment of atwo-part clamp, consisting of the bar-shaped members 12 14, distributes the pressure uniformly on different parts of the follower, and its removable section 11 and the clamp may be given a partial turn on the threaded stem, thus removing one end of the member 14 from engagement with the follower member 11 and allowing the latter to be lifted out of place in the barrel or cask without relieving the kraut from the pressure of the follower member 11.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination with a spindle, of a follower having a removable section, and a clamp held on said spindle and engaging with said follower and the removable section of the follower. Y

2. In a receptacle of the class described, the combination of athreaded spindle having fixed relation to a cask or other container, a follower movable freely on said spindle, and a two-part clamp each member of which has threaded engagement with the spindle, said members of the clamp being recessed and assembled in crossing relation.

3. A receptacle of the class described, having an internal threaded spindle, a two-part to this specification in the presence of two subfollower movable freely with respect to said scribing witnesses.

spindle, one part of said follower having a recess to receive the other part of the follower, THOMAS MOFARLAND' 5 and a clamp screwed on the spindle and bind- Witnesses:

ing against the members of said follower. SILAs W. BROWN,

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name J. A. H. FRANCIS. 

